BEDLAM
Species: Coragyps atratus, Black Vulture • Hatch Year: 2020 • Sex: Male • Disability: Human Imprint
Bedlam was found as a chick alongside his sibling, Mayhem, during the summer of 2020. The well-meaning people who found them presumed them to be abandoned and decided to hand raise them. Eventually they realized that they needed professional help and the two birds were taken to a licensed rehabilitator, but unfortunately, they had already experienced too much human contact to be safely released back into the wild. The pair came to American Eagle Foundation in December of 2020. Mayhem and Bedlam are currently housed together in an aviary. Bedlam is slightly smaller than his sister and has a more reserved personality when she is around. As they are male and female, they will have to be separated when they reach sexual maturity, at least during the breeding season. For now, the duo enjoys hanging out together, engaging with their handlers during training sessions and causing all sorts of mayhem…and bedlam.
ABOUT THIS SPECIES
Vultures often build their nests on the ground, and as one of the most intelligent and curious raptors in America, chicks like to explore their surroundings. Vultures can be found hovering above farmlands, forests, plains, and roadways searching and scavenging for dead animals (and sometimes vegetation) to dine on. Many people think that Vultures are ugly, but they are actually very beautiful and graceful when soaring through the sky!
Vultures do not have a voice box like other raptors. A hissing or grunting sound is the only vocal noise a vulture will make. In addition to hissing, a vulture will sometimes throw up on a potential threat, a defense mechanism called ‘projectile vomiting.’